


Voltron: Legendary Wingman

by stargayzing



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkwardness, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Established Hunk/Keith/Lance, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Lance is Bad at Feelings, Matchmaking, Multi, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Polyamory, Self-Esteem Issues, Sharing Clothes, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team Sleepover, Terrible Romantic Advice, Voltron Is The Ultimate Wingman, lance is a good friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:36:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8186005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargayzing/pseuds/stargayzing
Summary: Shay has a crush. The Paladins (try to) help."I'm really bad at this romance stuff," Lance confesses. "And I'm in a longterm relationship with two gorgeous guys, who also happen to be my best friends. No idea how that happened. Honestly, ask literally anyone, they'll probably give better advice than I can. God, even Pidge is probably better at this stuff. But," he says, face softening. "it's clear that you mean a lot to Allura.""I'm just not sure she likes me in that way," Shay says sadly. "And I love being her friend. But I want to kiss her, and hold her, and be her girlfriend, too."





	1. Chapter 1

Shay goes to Hunk, because he's her best friend, and she doesn't know what to do anymore.

"I do not know what to do anymore," she complains as the door to Hunks room slides open.

Hunk is lounging on the bed reading on a tablet, a boyfriend on either side, but he looks up when she enters and gives her a sympathetic look. "Is this about your crush on Allura?" he asks.

Shay visibly wilts. "Am I that obvious about it?"

Hunk says "No" just as Lance chimes in with, "Yes." He is immediately silenced with a glare.

Shay sits down on the floor. The bed is taken and she's found that she's too big to sit comfortably in most chairs.

She wrings her hands awkwardly when Hunk asks what happened.

"Nothing really happened. I was on the observatory, just looking at the stars. The princess came to find me, after a while, and we spent an hour just admiring the view and talking. I guess I just looked at her, the way she was illuminated by the stars, and thought that she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

The boys nod in agreement. Then Lance turns, gives Hunk a flirty wink and adds: "Besides you, of course."

Hunk groans in embarrassment, but even his dark skin can't hide that he's blushing fiercely. Lance smirks in triumph and kisses him on the cheek.

Shay smiles at their antics. "I wanted to ask you for advice because, well, you three seem so happy. Do you think you could help me?", she asks hopefully.

She's greeted by thoughtful silence. Then Lance speaks up: "Shay, you're a great person, or uh, rock. Anyone would be lucky to have you. But don't you think that, well, Allura might be out of your league?"

"You're right," Shay says sadly, "I should be glad I even get to be friends with her." She gives an embarrassed huff and gets up. "Sorry for wasting your time," she adds as she's leaving.

The teenagers watch as she exits the room with slumped shoulders.

Keith, who up to this point had been cuddling against Hunk and seemingly asleep, sits up and punches Lance.

"You," he says with a scowl, "are fixing this."

* * *

 

Dinner is quiet, which is practically a miracle considering the Team is made up of rambunctious teenagers.

Shiro looks around at the group with a concerned frown. Pidge is too busy tinkering with Rover to socialise, which isn't unusual, but Lance is uncharacteristically silent as he stirs around in his space goop. Keith and Hunk seem to be taking turns glaring at him, the latter also sending worried looks at a subdued Shay. Allura is watching all of this closely, and when Shiro catches her eye, he gives her a tiny nod. He'll deal with whatever has the team off before it can become an issue when forming Voltron.

The only one chattering as normal is Corran, although Shiro can tell he isn't entirely unaffected. To combat the tense mood, he's being even more ridiculous than usual, trying to cheer the Paladins up. It doesn't seem to be working.

With a sigh, Shiro braces himself for getting involved in his friend's messy, overly complicated and angst-filled teenage love lives. After dinner.

* * *

 

He corners the trio just down the hall from the dining room and crosses his arms, waiting. It only takes a raised eyebrow for Keith to burst out with a sulky: "It's Lance's fault."

Shiro sighs and somehow manages not to say "Isn't it always?" because that wouldn't be very mature. And pretty unfair. He's almost 90% sure Lance doesn't mean to mess up half as much as he does.

"I was only trying to help!" Lance yelps, which is all the confirmation he needs.

Keith crosses his arms and glares at him. "And you say _I'm_ the emotionally constipated one."

"You are," Lance shoots back. "Which is why it's downright weird that I'm getting a lecture about tact from _you_."

"Guys," Shiro interrupts, sensing that they're gearing up for a fight. How Hunk stands the two of them, he'll never know. "What happened?"

Hunk tells him. "Shay's very sensitive," he finishes. "Especially about her looks and being, and I quote, 'a rock'." The last part is said with a glare at Lance.

"Alright," Shiro says, sighing again. He's pretty sure if his hair wasn't already grey, being team leader would make it that way in no time. "Lance, you figure out a way to apologise to Shay. She's sweet, so she'll probably forgive you anyway, but she deserves to hear it. Meanwhile, we try to figure out if Allura likes her back."

"We're playing matchmaker?", Hunk aks, sounding surprised.

"I'm not a big fan of sticking my nose where it doesn't belong," Shiro says honestly. "But this is affecting the team. Or rather, Shay and Allura _are_ team. So we'll get this sorted out. Besides, I think this will be a good team bonding experience."

"But how are we going to figure out whether Allura likes Shay?"

"We send in an agent," Shiro says grimly, already puzzling over how he's going to convince Pidge to agree to this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance talks about his feelings, there are misunderstandings, and Pidge is Done.  
> Oh boy.

"No thanks," Pidge says flatly.

Shiro isn't surprised to be shot down, but he's a little shocked by how fast it happened. "I haven't even told you what it's about," he protests.

The teenager fixes him with a piercing look. "You only call me Katie when you're about to ask for a favour that I'm not goint to like," they point out.

A little embarrased to be seen through so easily, Shiro rubs the back of his neck. "It's for the good of the team," he says firmly, and explains what he's asking them to do. Pidge's eyebrows travel higher and higher on their forehead as they listen.

"So you want me to feel Allura out? Why me?"

"Well, I thought maybe the two of you could talk. From girl to girl."

Pidge rolls their eyes and mutters something that sounds distinctly like _"Men."_

Shiro waits as Pidge ponders it. "Alright," they finally declare, throwing down the screwdriver they were fiddling with. "I'll do it. Shay's a friend. But, fair warning, you're asking _me_ to deal with touchy feely stuff. It's a disaster waiting to happen."

"Thank you, Katie," Shiro says, voice full of relief and only a little apprehension.

* * *

 

Lance finds Shay on the observation deck, staring out at space with a thoughtful look. She seems to be spending a lot of time here. Lance can appreciate the view, but looking out at the vastness of space always makes him feel rather lonely. He misses Earth a lot.

He sits down next to her and clears his throat. After dinner and after Shiro's talking to, the couple had gone back to Hunk's room. Seeing the remorse in Lance's face and appeased by his promise that he would apologise, Hunk had forgiven him, and Keith soon followed. They'd made up, but Hunk had been very earnest about Lance taking this seriously and not just laughing it off.

"I wanted to apologise," he starts. "About saying Allura was out of your league. It's not true, and really, I think I was projecting. I've spent a lot of time getting rejected by girls like her," he admits self-consciously. "I guess I didn't want that to happen to you. It sucks."

"Thank you, Lance," Shay says softly. "I'm not mad at you. But thank you for apologising."

"Do you know how I could tell you had a crush on Allura?", Lance says rather abruptly, and Shay shakes her head. "Your eyes light up when you see her. Well, more than the usual glowey thing they do-" he said, gesturing at her face and stopping himself before he could start to ramble -"and well. It's how Hunk looks at me, and Keith. So it was pretty obvious to me how you feel."

Shay doesn't say anything, and he continues: "You know... It seems to me Allura lights up when she sees you, too."

Shay goes wide-eyed with surprise and turns to him. "Really? You think so?", she says, painfully hopeful.

Lance nods, then shrugs. "Really, what do I know? I'm really bad at this romance stuff," he confesses. "And I'm in a longterm relationship with two gorgeous guys, who also happen to be my best friends. No idea how that happened. Honestly, ask literally anyone, they'll probably give better advice than I can. God, even _Pidge_ is probably better at this stuff. But," he says, face softening. "it's clear that you mean a lot to Allura."

"I'm just not sure she likes me in that way," Shay says sadly. "And I love being her friend. But I want to kiss her, and hold her, and be her girlfriend, too."

Lance sighs. "That was me and Hunk, when we first met each other," he says. "But he's such a great guy. Funny and smart and gorgeous too. The kindest person I've ever met, and I just felt like I wasn't good enough for him, I think. When Hunk found out how I felt, he hit me on the back of the head for thinking 'so badly of his best friend', and kissed me."

"I'm glad you two worked out." Shay smiles. "Can I ask, how did Keith-?"

"God, Keith was oblivious," Lance recounts with a fond look. "It took both me and Hunk spelling it out for him until he actually felt like he could have this. That was around the time we first formed Voltron."

"I'm a little jealous of you," Shay admits, quiet and guilty.

Lance gives her an understanding smile. "Being alone can be hard," he says. "I think you should give it a shot, with Allura. But, if it doesn't work out, that's okay. You'll aways be part of the team. And, I meant what I said, about anyone being lucky to have someone as great as you. The right person for you is somewhere out there, waiting, and if it's not Allura, that's okay. You can just keep looking."

"Thank you, Lance," Shay says, sounding a little choked up. "You're truly a good friend."

Lance waves off the compliment, uncomfortable with the earnest praise, and winks at her. "If you need any help flirting it up with any space ladies, just let me know. I'll be your wingman."

Shay laughs, and the moment is broken.

* * *

 

Allura opens the door when Pidge knocks and looks rather surprised, although she hides it quickly behind a smile. "Pidge! It's good to see you," she greets them. "Is there something wrong in the engine room?"

"What? No. No, I'm just here to talk," the teenager responds.

This time, the Altean doesn't hide her surprise. "I see," she finally says. "Would you like to come in?"

Pidge does. They sit down by the desk and look around the tidy room with interest, hoping this isn't as awkward as it feels. Although it totally is. Urgh.

Going for subtle and missing by about a mile, Pidge asks: "Allura, have you ever liked anyone?"

If possible, the princess looks even more surprised than she had before. Her eyebrows are somewhere around her hairline.

 _Ah. So Pidge is at that age_ , she thinks sagely. She's rather touched the teenager came to her to talk about this; she's always wanted to be a big sister.

"Well..." she says, then frowns suddenly. "Wait, who is this about?" Fighting the Galra Empire doesn't exactly offer many dating opportunities, and there isn't anyone in the Castle who is available and even remotely age appropriate for Pidge.

"No one!," Pidge says hastily. "No one in particular. I was just wondering, what with, you know, half of Team Voltron dating each other. And dating as a Princess must be difficult."

"Oh, it's not really. Besides, I'm hardly a princess without a kingdom, no?", Allura says, smiling a little sadly.

"You have a Castle," Pidge argues. Then they shake their head. "But, I meant to say, Hunk, Keith and Lance are very close. Have you ever been like that with anyone?"

"Can't say I have," she admits.

There's a moment of silence before Pidge gives up on subtilty entirely and goes in for the kill: "You seem to get along well with Shay..."

"Oh, yes, we're good friends," Allura says with a fond smile.

Pidge stares at her wordlessly for a moment before shaking their head and getting up. "I'm going to bed," they say flatly and leave. Allura watches them go in confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

"So?", Shiro asks the next day. The humans of Team Voltron are gathered in the training room and give Pidge an expectant look.

They shake their head in annoyance. "I think I got gal pal'd."

Everyone takes that in in silence. Then Hunk asks tenatively: "So, what do we do now?"

It's Pidge, surprisingly, who speaks up: "I have an idea."

* * *

 

They go talk to Shay, who is surprised by the arrival of all the Paladins in her quarters.

When they tell her they're trying to help her, she looks both touched and embarrassed. "Ah, you really didn't have to..."

"Nonsense. You came to us to help, you had to know we'd go terrifically overboard," Lance declares cheerfully.

"We have a plan," Hunk chimes in. "Pidge prepared you a comm system that Allura won't notice, and will follow you discreetly with Rover. You just need to go talk to her, and we'll be your backup."

"You really think I should?", Shay asks nervously.

"Well, I couldn't get a good read on her," Pidge admits. "But she seems to like you, so I think you should go for it. We'll help."

They finish with, "Lance is manning the comms. He'll tell you what to say."

There's a startled outburst at that news, several people, Lance included, going: "Wait, what?"

Pidge waves them all off. " _Clearly_ Lance has the most game in this room. His terrible pickup lines worked not only once, but twice, for some reason."

Keith looks offended at the very idea, despite dating the idiot, which makes the rest of them laugh - except for Lance, who looks like he can't decide whether to be sulky or boastful.

Shay gives him an imploring look. "Please. I think, with backup, I might actually be able to do this..."

Lance sighs, before nodding. "Well, I did promise to be your wingman," he says graciously. They share a small smile that has Hunk looking incredibly fond.

"Alright then," Shiro says firmly. "We'll set up shop, and then do this, team."

The announcement is greeted with silence, before an amused Keith says: "We're treating this as a mission?"

"Of course. If we're doing this, we're doing it right."

* * *

 

The gang set up in the empty room next to Shay's. While Pidge fiddles with Rover, the rest chat quietly, until Shay enters the room again.

"Well?", she says, endearingly nervous. "How do I look?"

They stare at her for a moment, floundering. She looks exactly like she did before she went to change.

"Great," Shiro finally says, and Lance adds on: "Yeah. Did you change your hair?"

The question is met with confusion. Shay, hesitantly, says: "I, um, do not have hair."

"Nice job, genius," Keith hisses at him and Pidge rolls their eyes at all of them. " _Honestly._ I like these earrings, Shay," they say, and Shay looks pleased.

"Are you ready, Shay?" Hunk asks, and Shay takes a deep breath. "Yes, I think so..."

She heads out of the door.

"Good luck," Shiro calls after her, before quickly adding: "Not that you need it."

Rover floats after Shay, who is heading for the dining room, where Allura had agreed to meet her. The gang crowd around the screen Pidge had set up and watch.

* * *

 

Allura is waiting for her when she arrives. "You wanted to talk to me, Shay?", she says with a smile.

Shay is rather distracted by how gorgeous the other girl looks and almost forgets to reply until Lance says quietly into her ear: _"Focus. You've got this."_

"Ah. Yes. Yes. I did want to talk to you, Princess," she says lamely.

_"Oh for Heaven's sake. Shay, repeat after me..."_

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?", Shay dutifully parrots. Over her comm, she can hear muffled groaning from the other Paladins.

"You asked me to meet you here," Allura says with obvious amusement.

"Right. I did. Um... _If were a stop light, I'd turn red everytime you passed by, just so I could stare at you a bit longer._ "

"Oh, um. Thanks? I think. What's a stop light?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Shay admits. She tries again: _"You must be Jamaican, because Jamaican me crazy."_

"I... dont really get it," Allura says sheepishly.

"Me neither," Shay says with a sigh. It startles a laugh out of the Altean, and Shay gives her a dopey smile.

 _"This isn't working,_ " Shay hears Pidge say over the comm lines. _"Why did we think human pick up lines would work for aliens?"_

 _"Don't look at me, it was your idea,"_ Lance says defensively.

" _Alright, Time for Plan B_ ," Hunk says firmly.

_"... We had a Plan B?"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out really sappy lmao.  
> Oh well. Second to last chapter!

"There you are!" Hunk says cheerfully as he enters the dining room, acting like he hadn't known exactly where they were.

Shay and Allura had kept on talking, ableit a little awkwardly, after the pick up line fiasco; Rover had flown out a while ago and the comm lines were quiet. Allura had just wondered where the rest of the Team were, considering it was dinner time, when Hunk showed up.

"Hunk," Allura greets him. "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, we had an idea, for a team bonding thing. They're setting everything up, but I wanted to ask you two before dinner."

He pauses dramatically before continuing: "We're having a Team Sleepover!"

"What's a Sleepover?", Shay and Allura ask in unison.

Hunk's jaw drops and he stares at them. "You don't know what a sleepover is? _How?_ Wait, I forgot, you're aliens. Sorry," he says sheepishly. "A sleepover is sort of, like, everyone spends the night together. Not that way-" he adds hastily when he sees Allura's face. "It's entirely platonic! Friends do it all the time. You eat snacks, play games, braid eachother's hair and gossip."

"Gossip?", Shay asks with a confused tilt of her head.

"You know, talk about the people you like and stuff. Are you in?"

"Sure, it sounds fun," Allura says, and Shay nods her head jerkily. She's not entirely sure this is a good idea, but she trusts Hunk.

"Alright. We'll meet at the observatory after dinner. Bring your pillows and wear pjs!"

* * *

 

Dinner comes and goes quickly, and everyone is very lively. Coran looks pleased at this restoration of the status quo, even when he gets a faceful of goop from the impromptu food fight. After dinner, the obligatory lecture from Shiro about not making a mess and cleaning the dining room, they all move to their private quarters to get changed.

For Keith and Lance, that means going to Hunk's room. Hunk watches in amusement as his boyfriends pick through his closet before grabbing one of his t-shirts. They squabble over the worn but soft yellow one for a minute, before Keith huffs in annoyance and lets a smug Lance have it. "And what am I supposed to wear?" Hunk asks. In unison, both of them roll their eyes at him.

Keith pulls on a pair of sweatpants, but Lance just decides to go in boxershorts.

"It's not like any of the girls are human. They probably don't even know what underwear _is_ ," Lance points out, eyes going glazed for a second.

"Pidge is a girl," Hunk points out. "And definitely human. And will probably laugh at your superman shorts."

"Yeah, but Pidge is Pidge," Lance says, like that makes any sense. Weirdly enough, Keith nods in agreement.

"Let's just meet up with everyone," Hunk sighs.

When they arrive at the observatory, almost everyone else is there. Pidge is wearing their daytime outfit, only having traded their hoodie for a loose t-shirt.

"Do you even own pyjamas?" Lance asks them, and they shoot back: "Do you even own your own clothes? Why do you keep borrowing Hunk's?"

"Touché, shrimp."

"Guys," Shiro says with a sigh. He's wearing his workout clothes - sweatpants and a tank top that shows off his rather impressive biceps. Hunk feels a little self-conscious about his own body before Keith wraps his arm around his middle and squeezes.

"Let's go sit down," he suggests, and Hunk gives him a grateful smile. They leave Lance to arguing with a sarcastic Pidge and an increasingly exasperated Shiro and sit down in one of the corners, where someone has spread pillows and blankets. They get comfortable, making a sort of nest and cuddling up.

Shay and Allura are the last to arrive, and they come lugging the pillows and blankets from their room. Someone (Lance) wolf-whistles when he sees them, and Shay looks mortified.

"I don't own any 'pjs'," Allura explains. "But Shay lent me one of her t-shirts."

"I can see that," Hunk says faintly. The t-shirt is so big that Allura is practically swimming in it. It makes her look young, somehow, and highlights their size difference dramatically. Lance highfives a confused looking Shay.

The two girls follow the other's examples and drop the blankets and pillows before settling onto them. Hunk is pleased to see they're sitting close to eachother.

Lance walks over to his boyfriends, sits down next to them and pulls Keith's feet into his lap.

There's a moment of silence before Allura asks: "So, what do we do now?" She seems genuinely excited about this strange human rite of friendship.

"I'm not sure," Keith admits. "I've never been to a sleepover before."

Lance turns on him immediately. "What? I didn't think you were _that_ much of a hermit, Keith."

Keith turns red and says quietly: "Well, I never really had any friends to do it with."

Everyone looks awkward and it's quiet for a moment before Pidge adds: "I haven't had a sleepover since Matt and Dad disappeared."

There's a weighty pause. Lance breaks it by flopping backwards onto the pillows and groaning.

"Guys, guys, you're doing it wrong. A sleepover is supposed to be _fun_ , not depressing," he stresses. "Existenstial despair and crying over sad moments in life come after 3 AM."

"Tact, Lance," Shiro says with a frown.

Pidge waves him off. "It's fine. You know how he is."

Shay laughs awkwardly. "Well, I believe Hunk said something about braiding hair...? Although I'm not sure what that is."

Lance sits back up excitedly. "I'll show you! Allura, if you'll let us...?"

The princess undos her bun obligingly and Lance kneels behind her, making sure to give Shay a good view at what he's doing.

"So, for the simple braid, you divide the hair into three parts..."

The Paladins watch on with amusement as Lance explains human hairstyles to a baffled Shay. After a while, Shiro leans over to Pidge and starts whispering to them. He looks rather concerned, but Pidge shakes their head with a smile and says: "I'm fine."

When Shay tries her hand at it, the braid turns out rather mangled; Allura assures the embarrassed Balmeran that it looks fine.

Lance shoots Keith a considering look and he answers with a glare. "You are _not_ braiding my mullet," he says warningly.

"Ha!" Lance croons. "You admitted it's a mullet!"

Hunk rolls his eyes at their eternal argument. Allura gives him an amused look and asks: "What comes next?"

"Well, stories about your crushes, I guess. Have you ever been in love, Allura?"

She looks rather pensieve before she answers. "I'm not sure. How can you tell if you are?"

Hunk flounders for a second. He glances over to his boyfriends before answering. "Being in love is when you really like someone. You want to be with them always, even when they're being annoying-" " _Hey_!" "-and you're absolutely terrified of losing them. If you could, you'd protect them from all harm."

Keith speaks up, taking Hunk's hand in his own. "Just seeing them can cheer you up when you're sad. And you want to make them happy, too."

Lance adds: "They can become your home."

The three of them exchange adoring looks. In the background, Pidge mimes wretching, while a bemused Shiro looks on.

Allura looks endeared and opens her mouth to say something when Shay interrupts her.

"It's when... you see someone, and your eyes light up, and your heart starts beating fast," she contributes shyly.

Everyone turns to look at her but Allura, who fiddles with the end of her unusual braid and simply hums: "I see."


	5. Chapter 5

Despite being the one most enthusiastic about the sleepover, Lance is the first so crash, head pillowed on Hunk's thigh and fingers buried in Keith's hair. They keep talking quietly, shooting amused looks to where their teammate is snoring soundly. 

It isn't long until, one after the other, the Paladins fall asleep. Pidge is the last to drift off, propped up against a wall with Rover hovering beside them, until finally the two Aliens are the only ones awake. They exchange soft smiles.

"Are you tired, Shay?" Allura asks her. 

"A little," she admits. "But I think I will stay awake a bit longer yet."

The princess accepts that with a nod. She herself looks bright and alert and Shay remembers that Alteans require far less sleep than humans, less than even Balmerans. It's a little silly, then, to have invited her to a human ritual named 'Sleepover'. 

"Shay..." Allura begins, interrupting her musings. She sounds... unsure, somehow. "Do you think the Paladins miss their home?" 

"I know that Hunk does, and Lance," Shay offers. "Neither Keith nor Shiro have spoken to me about it, and I suspect that for Pidge it is not truly 'home' in absence of their father and brother. But all of them speak of Earth fondly, and often. I would like to see it one day."

"We will," Allura promises. "When we've finally won and all the Paladins can go home. I'm sure they would delight in showing us around." 

Shay laughs and agrees easily. "Yes. Hunk will make us try every food they have, and I think Lance would like to take us to the beach. It's good to remember that, with all the fighting, that there are many things to look forward to after we have done. To go home."

For a second, Allura looks exceedingly sad, but she shakes it off. "And what about you, Shay?", she asks softly. "Will you go home to your Balmera, when we are done?"

And Shay... hesitates. There is a part of her that misses the soothing presence of the Balmera all around her, the feeling of connectedness, like a missing limb. She wants to return, see her family again, but she looks over at Allura and feels surprisingly torn. She tries to put her feelings into words, as honest as she can be: "One day, I will return. To see my family again, to listen to the Balmera sing in joy and to feel at peace. But there are still so many things in the universe I wish to see... and someone I want to see them with."

"The person you're in love with," Allura says. She's looking over at where Keith and Lance and Hunk are a tangled mess of limbs, all somehow touching each other, and she sounds too distracted for it to come out as a question but Shay answers anyway.

"Yes... Although maybe that is not as important as I thought. I think I am very lucky to have friends like these, and to travel the galaxy with you." 

Fondly, she looks around the room. Each of the Paladins is sleeping soundly, and the moment is peaceful. Stars and planets and far off nebula glitter, the floor to ceiling windows of the observation deck offering a breathtaking view, and somehow Shay gathers the courage to take Alluras hand into hers.

Allura looks down at where her slender hand is cradled gently in her friend's much larger one and smiles. "Shay," she starts. "I think there's something you wanted to ask me." 

"There is," Shay agrees, and the way Allura is looking at her makes something in her chest flutter, hope taking over where she would usually feel embarrassment. "But I do not know the right words. Still, I feel foolish now, of thinking I'm hiding something from you when you are so wise."

The princess surprises her by shaking her head. "I've only just figured it out, I think... If anything, I'm the one who feels foolish. My Paladins are many things, but subtle, they are not." 

"Indeed," Shay agrees. "But they are very loyal, and I'm glad to count them among my friends." 

Enough hair has escaped the braid that several strands fall into her face, so Allura's face is mostly obscured when she asks: "And me?"

Carefully, gently, Shay squeezes where she is still holding her hand. "You most of all, Princess," she admits. "You have made me feel welcome far from home, given me companionship and your kindness easily and without expecting anything in return. You are beautiful and smart and brave, and you would have selflessly given your life to restore my Balmera. I feel greedy to ask more of you..."

"But you want more?" Allura turns to her, and now Shay can see her face, see how her eyes are intently searching for _something_ in her reaction.

"I do. I am inexperienced, and I know there must be countless differences between our cultures, so I do not know how to ask this. But... Allura, you are my valued friend. But more than that, I've fallen in love with you... and, if you let me, I would very much like to kiss you."

The smile spreads across her face slowly, but she is beaming by the time she says "I'd love that," and leans in.

At the first brush of lips against her own, Shay knows she is lost. There are still many things to talk about, a war to wage, her friend's teasing to to endure, but right now, none of it matters.

They stay like that for a while, in the room filled with their sleeping human friends on piles of blankets, sitting close together and basking in their newfound joy, one kiss at a time. Shay has never been so happy.

 

 

 _fin_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you enjoyed reading this :) if I can, I'll go over everything and edit soon, since this is unbeta'd and I've been posting from mobile so the formatting might be a bit weird sometimes.
> 
> huge thanks to all those of you bookmarked, kudos'd or commented, you are literally the reason I keep writing.


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